Portable cooler with powered cooling system

ABSTRACT

A portable cooler with a powered cooling system is disclosed. Preferred embodiments include wheels large and flexible enough for rolling over sand, grass, and other uneven surfaces, and handles for carrying and/or pulling. Pulling handles can include an extension that can be rigid or flexible and can be retractable. Power sources include rechargeable and/or exchangeable batteries, and/or a solar panel. Accessories in preferred embodiments include a power outlet for a cellular telephone, a power outlet for an iPod, a docking station for an iPod, an AC electrical outlet, a radio, a CD player, a tape player, an MP3 player, a television, audio headset outlets, and one or more audio speakers. In preferred embodiments, some or all of the power source, the cooling system, and the accessories are protected from water and/or sand. Some embodiments include a beverage holder, and in some of these embodiments the beverage holder is cooled.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to portable coolers, and morespecifically to means for cooling the interior of a portable cooler.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When outdoor recreational activities continue for more than a shorttime, access to food and beverages is often desirable. This isespecially true when the activities take place in warm weather and/or inbright sunlight. Examples include a day at the beach, a picnic in thepark, and such like.

Sometimes it is not possible, or at least not convenient, to purchasedesired food and/or beverages at a recreational location, and so it isoften desirable to transport food and beverages to the recreational sitefrom elsewhere. A thermally insulated “cooler” can be used to transportfood and beverages, so as to protect them from warm weather, and ice oranother frozen substance can be placed in the cooler so as to maintainthe contents at a reduced temperature. However, this approach typicallyachieves only a limited reduction of temperature inside the cooler, andusually lasts only a few hours. When ice is used, there is also atendency for water that results from melting of the ice to contaminatefood and other contents of the cooler.

In addition to food and beverages, it is often desirable to have radios,tape players, cell phones, iPod's, TV's and/or other electronic devicesavailable at a recreational site. This is often accomplished bytransporting electronic devices to the recreational site that areportable and operate using battery power. However, battery lifetimes forsuch devices are limited, and may not be sufficient for the duration ofa recreational experience, for example when the activity continuesthrough the day and into the evening. This is especially true forportable equipment that is designed to provide music or otherentertainment to groups of people, because such devices typicallyrequire significantly more electrical power than devices meant to serveonly one person, and consequently they tend to have short batterylifetimes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A portable cooler with a powered cooling system is disclosed. The coolerincludes a thermally insulated container with an interior space, aportable power source cooperative with the thermally insulatedcontainer, and a portable, powered cooling system that is cooperativewith the thermally insulated container and is able to remove heat fromthe interior space of the thermally insulated container.

Preferred embodiments include wheels that facilitate transportation ofthe portable cooler, and in some of these embodiments the wheels aresufficiently large and flexible to facilitate rolling of the cooleracross sand, grass, and other uneven surfaces. Some preferredembodiments include a graspable carrying handle, and some of theembodiments that include wheels include a graspable pulling handle thatfacilitates pulling on the cooler so as to cause the cooler to roll in adesired direction. In some of these embodiments the graspable pullinghandle includes an extension that facilitates pulling on the cooler by astanding individual, and in some of these embodiments the extension isflexible and/or retractable.

In preferred embodiments the power source and/or the cooling system iscontained within a compartment that protects the contents againstexposure to water and/or sand.

In preferred embodiments, the power source includes at least onebattery, which in some embodiments is exchangeable and/or rechargeable.In some embodiments that include a rechargeable battery, the battery canbe recharged from an automobile battery or an AC outlet. In preferredembodiments, the power source includes a solar panel, which in someembodiments is attached to an outward facing surface of the portablecooler

Preferred embodiments include one or more of the following accessories:a power outlet for a cellular telephone, a power outlet for an iPod, adocking station for an iPod, an AC electrical outlet, a radio, a CDplayer, a tape player, an MP3 player, a television, an outlet for anaudio headset, and one or more audio speakers. In preferred embodiments,some or all of the accessories are protected from water and/or sand bycovers.

In preferred embodiments, one or more beverage holders are also includedthat can support open beverage containers such as a beverage cup, a softdrink can, a beer can, a plastic beverage bottle, a glass beveragebottle, a wine bottle, a beer bottle, and other beverage containers. Insome of these embodiments, at least a portion of each beverage holder iscooled so as to maintain a beverage in the holder at a reducedtemperature.

Further preferred embodiments include a sensor and regulator thatregulate the temperature in the interior of the thermally insulatedcontainer, and in some of these embodiments means are included forsetting and/or displaying the temperature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 presents a perspective view of a basic embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 presents a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing a solarpanel on the top of the cooler;

FIG. 3 presents a perspective view of an embodiment with added featurescompared to the embodiment of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 presents a cross-sectional side view of the preferred embodimentsof FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 presents a front view of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 presents a side view of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 presents a rear view of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 8 presents a top view of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIG. 1, the portable, powered cooler includes acontainer 100 with an interior 102, a power source 104, and a poweredcooling system 106 powered by the power source 102. In the embodiment ofFIG. 1, the power source 104 is a rechargeable lithium ion batterycontained within a compartment that protects the battery from exposureto sand and water. The cooling system 106 is contained in a similarcompartment. The interior 102 of the container 100 is accessible byopening a lid 108 that is equipped with a carrying handle 110 and alatch 112. When the lid 108 is closed and the latch 112 is fastened, theportable cooler can be carried by holding the carrying handle 108. Aswitch 114 is provided to turn the cooling system 106 on and off, and avent 116 is included to exhaust the heat removed from the interior 102by the cooling system 106.

In this embodiment, a nickel-metal hydride battery is used, similar oridentical to batteries used in laptop computers and similar devices. Thecooling system is a solid-state thermoelectric cooler with no movingparts that operates at 12 VDC and draws between 3 and 4 Amps. It has acooling capacity of 15 to 20 Watts, or 50 to 70 BTU/hr.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1. The top of theopen lid 108 is visible, and it can be seen that a solar panel 200 isattached to it. In this embodiment, the solar panel is approximately 10″wide and 12″ long, and when placed in direct sunlight it can produce upto 5 Amps of current at approximately 14 Volts. Excess power output fromthe solar panel 200 is used to charge the battery. When power from thesolar panel 200 is not available, the battery 106 can provide about 10Amp-hours of power at 12 Volts, which will operate the cooling systemfor about two to three hours.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment that includesadditional features. Wheels 300, 302 and a pulling handle 304 areincluded to facilitate pulling on the portable cooler and rolling itacross surfaces, thereby reducing the need to carry it. In thisembodiment, the front of the portable cooler is supported by a single,pivoting wheel 300 so as to increase maneuverability. A shelf 306 isincluded inside of the interior 102 of the thermally insulated container100, providing for convenient placement of smaller items that mightotherwise be difficult to find when the cooler is filled. Other featuresinclude beverage holders 308, an iPod docking station 310, built-inacoustic speakers 312, a build-in radio/CD player 314, and three outletsfor iPod headsets 316. Similar embodiments also include tape players,televisions, power outlets for recharging cell phones, AC outlets forpowering items that normally connect to a wall outlet, and otherfeatures. The iPod docking station 310 and the radio/CD player 314include covers that protect them from exposure to water and sand, andthe iPod headset outlets include cover plugs (not shown) that perform asimilar function.

Two rechargeable, sealed lead-acid batteries are used in the embodimentof FIG. 3 so as to provide sufficient power for the cooling system andall other included accessories. When the cooling system and all of theaccessories are in use, the total power requirement is about 8 Amps at12 Volts. The sealed lead-acid batteries weigh about 13 pounds and canprovide up to 22 Amp-hours of power, thereby allowing for operation fortwo to three hours under maximum usage conditions.

FIG. 4 shows a sectional side view of the embodiment of FIG. 3, in whichthermal insulation 400 is visible surrounding the interior 102 of thecontainer 100. In this embodiment, the pulling handle 304 is attached tothe container 100 by a rigid extension 402 that is retractable into thebody of the cooler. In similar embodiments, a cord or other flexibleextension is used. In FIG. 4 it can be seen that a carrying handle 104is attached to the rear of the portable cooler, so as to facilitatecarrying the cooler when rolling is not practical.

A front view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 is shown in FIG. 5,and a side view is shown in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, it can be seen that asolar panel 600 is attached to the top of the lid 108. In thisembodiment, the solar panel is approximately 20″×24″ in size andproduces approximately 10 A at 14V in direct sunlight, the power beingdivided more or less equally between the cooling system and theadditional features.

FIG. 7 presents a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5,and FIG. 6, showing the location of the battery compartment 104, andFIG. 8 is a top view of the same embodiment.

Other modifications and implementations will occur to those skilled inthe art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the inventionas claimed. Accordingly, the above description is not intended to limitthe invention except as indicated in the following claims.

1. A portable, powered cooler comprising: a thermally insulatedcontainer having an interior space; a portable power source cooperativewith the thermally insulated container; and a portable, powered coolingsystem, cooperative with the portable power storage device, theportable, powered cooling system being capable of removing heat from theinterior space of the thermally insulated container.
 2. The portable,powered cooler of claim 1, further comprising wheels that facilitatetransportation of the portable, powered cooler.
 3. The portable, poweredcooler of claim 2, wherein the wheels are sufficiently large andflexible to facilitate rolling of the cooler across sand, grass, andother uneven surfaces.
 4. The portable, powered cooler of claim 2,further comprising a graspable pulling handle that facilitates pullingon the cooler so as to cause the cooler to roll in a desired direction.5. The portable, powered cooler of claim 4, wherein the graspablepulling handle includes an extension that facilitates pulling on thecooler by a standing individual.
 6. The portable, powered cooler ofclaim 5 wherein the extension is at least one of flexible andretractable.
 7. The portable, powered cooler of claim 1, wherein atleast one of the power source and the cooling system is protectedagainst exposure to at least one of water and sand.
 8. The portable,powered cooler of claim 1, wherein the power source includes at leastone battery.
 9. The portable, powered cooler of claim 8, wherein atleast one battery is exchangeable.
 10. The portable, powered cooler ofclaim 8, wherein at least one battery is rechargeable.
 11. The portable,powered cooler of claim 8, wherein at least one battery can be rechargedfrom at least one of an automobile battery, an AC electrical outlet, anda solar panel.
 12. The portable, powered cooler of claim 1, wherein thepower source includes a solar panel.
 13. The portable, powered cooler ofclaim 8, wherein the solar panel is attached to an outward facingsurface of the cooler.
 14. The portable, powered cooler of claim 1,further comprising an accessory chosen from the following list: a poweroutlet for a cellular telephone; a power outlet for an iPod; a dockingstation for an iPod; an AC electrical outlet; a radio; a CD player; atape player; an MP3 player; a television; an outlet for an audioheadset; and at least one audio speaker.
 15. The portable, poweredcooler of claim 14, wherein the accessory is protected from exposure toat least one of water and sand.
 16. The portable, powered cooler ofclaim 1, further comprising at least one beverage holder for supportingan open beverage container that is at least one of a beverage cup, asoft drink can, a beer can, a plastic beverage bottle, a glass beveragebottle, a wine bottle, a beer bottle, and other beverage containers. 17.The portable, powered cooler of claim 16, wherein a portion of at leastone beverage holder is cooled so as to maintain a beverage in acontainer supported by the beverage holder at a reduced temperature. 18.The portable, powered cooler of claim 1, further comprising atemperature sensor and regulator that monitors and maintains thetemperature in the interior space of the thermally insulated container.19. The portable, powered cooler of claim 18, further comprising atleast one of means for setting a desired temperature and means fordisplaying the measured temperature of the interior space of thethermally insulated container.
 20. The portable, powered cooler of claim1, further comprising a graspable carrying handle that facilitatescarrying the portable, powered cooler.